Gridiron Pro Developmental Football League

[Ilona Brownson]

TheGridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL) is a low-level American football minor league[1][2] based in Memphis, Tennessee, using the franchise model.[3][4] The GDFL acts as an umbrella group that encompasses teams from across the Contiguous United States.[5]

As of April 2023[update], the league has 29 teams. The GDFL plays a playoff format similar to NCAA tournament, as 14 teams make the playoffs, with the two finalists meet in the Gridiron Bowl. The league also has an All-Star game called Hype Bowl, where the best players from the Impact Conference meet their counterparts from Xtreme Conference, and played annually before the championship game.

The league was first conceived in 2009 and formed in 2010, with Charles Thompson as the founder and first president, and with representatives of several regional semi-pro football teams, that had a plan to form a 32 team pro minor league.[3][6][9]

Memphis Blast, Arkansas Pirates, Carolina Warriors, Mississippi Raiders, Huntsville Hurricanes, Derby City Thunder, Hopkinsville Marauders, River City Raptors, Kentucky Wolverines, Ohio Browns, Columbus Gladiators, Tristate Sharks, Goshen Rampage, North Carolina Bengals, Lumberton Razorbacks, Carolina Cougars, Carolina Lions, Carolina Warhawks, Carolina Warriors, Port City Snipers, Beaufort Broncos, Palmetto Havoc, Palmetto State Spartans, CSRA Cobras, Georgia Crush, Rock Hill Scorpions, Lake Norman Fear, Ashville Grizzlies.

In September 2019 the GDFL reached an agreement with Labelle Developmental Football League[10] (formerly Labelle Community Football League[11]) to absorb the league teams under the Gridiron Developmental Football League umbrella, and to launch "GDFL West Coast". On later date, it was announced that the West Coast Football Alliance[12] teams will become GDFL members,[13] and the Colorado Football Association also confirmed that their league teams are joining the GDFL.[14] On October the league and Developmental Football International (DFI) announced joint-venture agreement, that "would strengthen the American developmental football landscape through stability, commercial growth and the professional development of club football in four main regions throughout the United States", with attempt to mirror the United Soccer League.[15]

In 2023 the league announced that the Watertown Red & Black - the oldest active football team in the United States - would be joining the league[18] and the Racine Raiders - the second oldest active semi-pro team in the United States and the semi-pro team with the most all-time franchise wins - would be joining the league.[19]

Every tournament run is special, he said, but Wadewitz highlighted the 1989 team that traveled to Canada to face a squad from Ottawa in what was dubbed a world championship of semiprofessional football that year.

The Raiders, the second-oldest adult amateur football team in the United States, formed a league search committee three months ago, according to a news release, and more than a dozen leagues were identified at first, then trimmed to six before the final selection was made.

The season was scheduled to kick off May 2 which is less than two weeks away as most states are set to re-open on May 1. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league has now pushed the start date to June at the earliest to allow for more time to evaluate the situation.

The Gridiron Developmental Football League is a Professional Developmental Football League based in Memphis, Tennessee. This League was established to provide the community with high quality sports entertainment and to provide athletes the opportunity to participate in professional sports.

We are looking at partnering with national and local area businesses in our pursuit of excellence and commitment to our community. Our commitment, dedication, and vision are set on building a firm foundation for professionalism and quality.

The Gridiron Developmental Football League continues to strive to provide a quality minor professional level of football throughout the United States and beyond giving area athletes and fans the opportunity be a part of history. Our organization would like to thank you for your support.

But for all the potential exposure, for all the time and commitment given by these players to the sport, only 1.6% of seniors will play at the next level. It seems more likely that one of them will be struck by lightning while debating his tax-deductible donations with unfeeling state bureaucrats, than be in the league right now.

Of course, in the world of developmental football, everything might as well be set in sand. Developmental leagues, and especially competitors or alternatives to the NFL like the star-studded USFL (which involved now-President Trump and Herschel Walker), the minor league UFL, or the WWE-style XFL, have come and gone in America to great fanfare and then financially-burdened whimpers.

Smartly, the Pac Pro has no intentions of competing with the NFL, but rather wishes to be its new feeder-system. Yet as this new league makes promises regarding salaries and benefits, it may also want to take a few lessons from the developmental leagues that already exist and have been establishing themselves for years in this unusual industry.

The league has found its way into the Detroit-area news through high profile signings of well-regarded local athletes . For some, Rivals has proven to be a stepping-stone. Most recently, RPFL alumnus Keith Franklin, formerly of the Pontiac Generals, has earned a spot on the CFL Saskatchewan Rough Riders.

Well intended or not, it is similar claims that led to the creation of the final developmental league. Five years ago Bernard Hunt and his wife started the Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League in Dothan, Alabama. Originally, they were franchise owners of a team for another developmentalleague, but became disillusioned with the promises and predictions that never came to fruition.

This was my greatest nemesis as a young player. I could score from almost anywhere on the court, except I had a problem with the breakaway lay-up. I know what you are thinking. I missed these shots at will when I was growing up until I was near 8th grade.

The forehead rises and crumples a little and this player is unsure of himself. I say this because this is a form of mental toughness. A good basketball player always believes that he can do anything on the court well. He believes he will make any and every shot, just like he knows nobody will take the ball from him while dribbling.

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Most triathletes spend the bulk of their training time focused on the three events: swimming, cycling, and running. But the transition between each event also requires training. Each triathlon has two transitions: a swim-to-bike and a bike-to-run. Although they seem simple a poor transition can add precious time and waste energy during a race. A good transition can improve your position and spirits while a bad one can leave you struggling to make up lost time. Here are some tips to help you prefect your transitions.

Multi-task:

If you want to be efficient in the transition, you need to learn how to do a few things at once and keep moving in a seamless, fluid motion. Know what things you can do while running or riding or on the run-up to the transition zone and what you have to do before leaving. Something as small as taking off your cap and goggles, or unzipping your wetsuit on the run-up to the bike can save seconds, putting on your cap and sunglasses as you run is equally efficient. It may seem like these things take little or no time, but this will help keep your momentum for the next event.

Race Day Set-up:

On race day, you should arrive with enough time to survey the transition area before the race and actually do your run-ups and exits so you know exactly where to go. Lay out your gear and do a test run to make sure everything is where you need it and ready to go. (This is very important) Make sure you can find your bike and know your path in and out. This pre-race check is also a good time to do a mental rehearsal as well. Visualizing your transition will help you deal with any challenges that are not a part of your practiced walk-through.

As just stated, technique is the key. In order to cut left, a quick short movement of the right foot to the floor is the start of the cut. The right foot should hit the floor or ground with an explosive push to the left with the entire length of the foot on the inside of the shoe striking the floor or ground with an explosive push off to the left, which can best be described as side ward, low to the floor or ground, jump to the left. As this side ward push or jump is being performed, the players left leg should be reaching out to the left, as his or her body leans to the left. In this way, when the left foot lands an alley to go by the defender should be created.

All of this movement, the push off, the bodylean and the reach out of the left leg should be simultaneous as possible. To cut to the right past a defender, everything is reversed. First, the left foot hits the floor or ground and the right leg reaches out as the body leans right.

Some of the greatest practitioners of this technique or art form are broken field runners in football like Gayle Sayers, or on the basketball court, Michael Jordan. If you watch film or You-Tube, you can study the masters just mentioned, utilizing this technique. If dribbling the basketball, bring the ball back up to the right hip when making a cut right, if right handed. When making a cut left, the crossover dribble should be made close to the body and low, with the hand behind the ball pushing the ball to be easily picked up with the left hand dribble.

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